Life Finds a Way
by Rose DiVerona
Summary: After the incident at the Lockwood Estate, Claire, Owen, and Maisie go to stay with the Mitchells. Nightmares abound, and the family bands together as they try to adjust to their new reality.
1. Chapter 1

**1**

A solitary vehicle wove through the Wisconsin wilderness, carrying its three occupants away from the source of their nightmares. It had been two weeks since the catastrophe at the Lockwood Estate and three days since the authorities had given Claire, Owen, and Maisie the okay to travel. They, along with Zia and Franklin, had spent days being interrogated about their involvement in the incident, and were only released under the condition that they keep investigators informed of their whereabouts and remain in contact should any further questions arise.

Owen checked the clock on the dashboard. "What time is your sister expecting us?"

Claire flipped the sun visor down. "I didn't really know how long it would take us to get there, so I just said before dark." She gazed out the window for a moment before adding. "She's really freaked out. She didn't say, but I could tell. Knowing Karen, she probably thinks there's a dinosaur hiding in the backyard."

Owen's fingers flexed on the wheel. "Maybe there is."

It was only half a joke, and Claire shot a glance over her shoulder to make sure Maisie was still asleep.

"Don't say things like that," she said quietly.

"Sorry."

They rode in silence for several minutes.

Finally, Claire sighed. "What are we going to do, Owen?"

"We're gonna go to your sister's house. And we're gonna figure the rest out later."

Claire the Control Freak absolutely hated not having a plan, but Claire the Exhausted Dinosaur Survivor had to admit it was tempting to delay all the hard stuff. Before she could reply, there was a yawn from the backseat.

Maisie sat up. "Are we almost there?"

Claire turned in her seat to smile at the girl. "Yep. I bet Zach and Gray are excited to meet you."

"What did you tell them about me?" she asked carefully.

Claire was quick to reassure her. "I just told them your grandfather died, and you're staying with us for now."

Maisie nodded. "How old are they?"

Owen snorted, and Claire swatted him goodnaturedly.

"I do in fact know how old my nephews are! Zach is nineteen and Gray is fourteen."

"When was the last time you saw them?"

"A few months ago. Just before all the stuff with the congressional committee and the DPG started coming to a boil." She hesitated. "You know how I told you about Jurassic World and that Zach and Gray were there?" Maisie nodded. "Well…I was just thinking, if might be nice for you to meet some other kids who've been through this. Gray was about your age back then."

Maisie wrinkled her nose. "But they're…boys."

Claire laughed.

 **:**

Gray pressed his face to the glass windowpane for the fifth time in as many minutes. The street outside was as empty as it had been the minute before, and the one before that. He sighed.

"Mo- _om_! Where are they?"

In the kitchen, Karen wiped her hands with a dish towel and shook her head fondly. Her younger son had yet to master the art of patience.

"Staring out the window isn't going to make them get here any faster," she called back.

Zach clomped down the stairs, eyes glued to his phone. "Dude, calm down." His tone lacked the bite it would have had three years before. "They'll get here."

Gray flopped onto the couch. "But how many minutes?"

Zach shrugged. "Why don't you start counting?"

Gray, of course, took this as a challenge.

"One Mississippi, two Mississippi…"

Karen smiled wistfully as she caught the faint strains of her sons' conversation. She was glad her boys had grown closer, but she did miss the days when they would come to her for help. Now they always sought out one another.

"Seventy-two Mississippi…they're here!"

Gray ran to the door with all the grace of a small elephant and swung it open before their guests had even made it to the front porch.

"You're here!" He made a beeline for his aunt, who recovered from her surprise quickly enough to give him a tight squeeze before he stepped away to embrace the man standing beside her.

"Hey, champ," Owen said, clapping Gray on the back. "Hiya, Zach," he added to the teenager who had joined his mother in the doorway.

"Hey." Zach raised a hand casually, but he was grinning. "Good to see you again."

Karen stepped forward and hugged her sister tightly. "I'm so glad you're here," she whispered. To the surprise of everyone, she embraced Owen as well. "Are you both okay?"

"We're fine," Claire said cheerfully, smiling her patented "I-won't-let-you-see-what-I'm-really-thinking" smile. She stepped to the side and gently ushered forward a small girl with dark hair. "This is Maisie."

Karen smiled warmly at the girl. "Hi, sweetie. I'm Karen, and this is Zach and Gray."

Maisie nodded shyly. "Claire told me about you."

"Oh?" Karen arched an eyebrow, shooting Claire a teasing look. "All good things, I hope?"

"She said that you drink too much coffee but you're a really good mom."

Zach and Gray laughed as their mother blushed.

"Let's get inside," she said suddenly, casting a wary eye around the yard. Once everyone was in the hall with the door closed, she relaxed. "How was the drive?"

"Long," Claire joked. "But uneventful."

"We saw a Pteranodon," Maisie added.

Karen's smile slipped. "That's…great." She visibly gathered herself. "Can I get anyone anything to drink?"

"Actually," Claire said smoothly, "I think it would be nice to settle in." She turned to her younger nephew. "Gray, would you mind showing Maisie where she's sleeping?"

"Um, sure." Gray seemed to sense he was being dismissed, but before he could ask why, they were interrupted as a bundle of fur skidded into the entryway and wasted no time jumping on the closest person, who happened to be Maisie. She shrank back.

"Lucy! No! Bad girl!" Karen dragged the Golden Retriever back by the collar. "I'm sorry. This is Lucy. She's just a little overexcited." Pinned to her owner's side, the dog panted happily and attempted to lick Karen's hand.

Maisie's face melted into a smile. "It's okay. I like dogs." She knelt down and allowed Lucy to sniff her hand. The canine licked Maisie's fingers eagerly, tail thumping the floor.

"Looks like Lucy might have a new favorite, Gray," Zach teased.

Gray scratched the dog behind the ears and rolled his eyes at his brother. "Come on, Maisie. You're gonna stay in my room."

Maisie hesitated, looking at Owen, who smiled.

"Go ahead. Gray won't bite." The joke fell flat in light of recent events.

Maisie and Gray disappeared up the stairs, Lucy tagging along at her new best friend's heels. As soon as the kids were gone, Karen sagged. She looked between Claire and Owen.

"I couldn't tell from our conversation, so I only made up one bed, but if you'd rather—"

"One bed's fine," Claire interjected smoothly, taking her sister's hands. "It's okay, Karen."

Karen's eyes filled with tears as she looked over Claire's shoulder and locked eyes with Owen.

" _Thank you,_ " she said feelingly. "For coming. I didn't know what to do."

Zach cleared his throat. "So, uh, Owen…how about we let them do some catching up? I can show you my car," he offered.

"Sounds good." Owen squeezed Claire's hand before following Zach back outside, leaving the two sisters alone in the hall.


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

Claire surveyed Karen's drawn face. "Why don't we make some tea?" she suggested gently.

Once they were seated in the kitchen, Karen fixed her younger sister with a stern look. "Okay. How the _hell_ did you end up back on that island?"

Claire folded her hands on the table. "Well, it started with a phone call…"

She dutifully related the events that led up to her presence at the Lockwood Estate, including a brief recap of what had happened there. She explained that Maisie was Benjamin Lockwood's granddaughter, intentionally leaving out the little girl's true origins. That wasn't her story to tell. Even though she abbreviated her description of the Indoraptor and the chase through the manor, her sister's face paled dramatically.

"God." Karen looked down at her tea. "I think I need something stronger."

Claire watched with concern as Karen got up and pulled a bottle of whiskey out of the cabinet, pouring a shot in her cup.

"Karen…are you okay?"

Her sister frowned. "Of course, I'm fine."

Claire looked pointedly at the bottle of alcohol. "Really?"

Karen huffed out a breath. "Oh, come on. That doesn't mean anything. Look, I'm putting it away."

"It isn't just the dinosaurs, is it? There's something else." Claire tilted her head. "How's Scott?"

Karen smiled tightly. "Oh, he's fine. He just got engaged to his _trophy_ girlfriend and they're living in California." She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually like this. I promised myself I wouldn't be bitter anymore, it's just…"

"Things are hard," Claire supplied.

Karen nodded tearfully. "Things are hard, and it would be kind of nice to have him around right now." Her voice escalated. "I mean, I'm taking care of Zach and Gray pretty much by myself, and I'm doing everything I can, but now there's this _crisis_ and I'm so _scared_ …"

Claire stood and wrapped her arms around the other woman. "Shh, it's okay."

Karen pulled away slightly and met Claire's eyes. "I just feel so much better with you here. You know what you're doing; you've been through this before. You and Owen."

Claire shifted uncomfortably. "You make it sound like we're experts or something. We just got lucky. Twice."

"You did a blood transfusion from a T-rex!"

"A _heavily sedated_ T-rex. And dealing with dinosaurs roaming around North America is a little different than handling them on an island. This is a completely unpredictable situation."

Karen laughed shakily. "My favorite kind."

"Besides, Owen's the one with all the real knowledge."

"Speaking of Owen, are you two…?" Karen trailed off with an expectant look.

Claire's cheeks flushed. "I don't know," she admitted. "I think so, but we haven't exactly had time to talk about it."

"He's a good guy," Karen said. "I mean, I only met him a couple times when you were together before, but…I think he's the kind of guy to hold on to."

Claire smiled. "I think so, too."

"What are you going to do about Maisie?"

"That's another thing we need to discuss," Claire sighed. "I think the only reason they let her stay with us was they figured she was traumatized and we'd be the most equipped to deal with it. Otherwise, I'm sure she would have been put in the system."

After a pause, Karen blew her nose. "I lied," she admitted.

Claire frowned. "About what?"

"Scott's girlfriend—fiancee—isn't a tramp. She's actually pretty nice."

Claire's lips twitched, and she pulled her sister in for another hug.

 **:**

Gray led Maisie into his room, which was suspiciously clean for belonging to a teenage boy.

"I tried to put things away," he said earnestly. "Mom changed the sheets and everything, and you're right next door to the bathroom."

Silently, Maisie put her bag down. Lucy immediately set about sniffing it, and Maisie dropped onto the floor to pet her.

"She can sleep with you if you want," Gray offered. He looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean…I had trouble sleeping for a while after…that's actually why we got a dog. I couldn't sleep alone in my room."

Maisie stroked Lucy's fur and didn't answer.

"I still have nightmares sometimes," Gray said quietly, rocking back and forth on his heels.

Finally, Maisie sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just, the past two weeks have been…hard."

"It's okay," Gray said. "I can leave you alone if you want?"

"I don't think I want to be alone," she whispered.

Gray bit his lip and lowered himself onto the carpet. Lucy eagerly wormed her way between the two humans for maximum ear scratches.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Maisie plucked at the hairband on her wrist. "Mr. Mills told Grandpa he was going to save the dinosaurs. Instead, he tried to sell them. And there was a new one - the Indoraptor. It got loose and came after us." She paused. "I think I still like them. Dinosaurs, I mean. Even after what happened. Is that strange?"

Gray shook his head. "We almost got killed by the Indominus Rex three years ago, but I still like them, too. I guess there's some things you just can't get scared away from." He paused. "Can I ask you a question?"

She shrugged. "All right."

"Why are you with Aunt Claire and Owen?"

Maisie slumped. "My grandpa died," she whispered. "He was the only family I had. When the Indoraptor got loose, Owen and Claire saved me."

"So, like, are they gonna adopt you now?"

Maisie's face fell. "I don't know," she said quietly.

"Sorry," Gray winced. "I probably shouldn't have asked that." He tugged at a hole in his jeans. "So…did you bring any toys or anything with you?"

Maisie shook her head. "No. Just some clothes. I wanted to get out of that place. And then we couldn't go back because of the police."

Gray crawled the few feet to his closet and pulled it open, reaching into the back corner and lifting out an old pillowcase.

"Don't tell Zach I've been hiding this in here," he said. He passed the makeshift bag to Maisie and she pulled out a stuffed dog. "That's Ralph. He was my favorite stuffed animal when I was little."

Maisie peered inside the sack and her eyes widened. She slowly withdrew a plastic velociraptor model.

They both stared at it.

"I didn't know that was in there," Gray said finally. "I packed away all my dinosaur stuff after what happened. I thought I got it all, but…"

Maisie ran a finger along the model's tail. "Is it okay if I hold onto her?" she asked shyly.

"Her?"

"Blue. I know I should be scared of her," Maisie said slowly, turning the toy over in her hands, "but I'm not. She saved me."

"She saved us, too."

Maisie smiled at him for the first time. "Thanks, Gray."

 **:**

Zach and Owen sat on the front porch.

"So how's college?" Owen asked. "University of Michigan, right? Just finished your freshman year?"

"Yeah. It was pretty cool."

"You got a girlfriend?"

Zach shook his head. "Not right now. Do you?" he asked pointedly.

Owen grinned ruefully. "Well, I hope so, but I don't really know yet."

Zach nodded, accepting the non-answer for now. "What have you been up to since we last saw you?"

"Mostly working hard at _not_ building a house." They both laughed. "So…summer plans?"

Zach snorted. "Well, mom was gonna make me get a job, but now…"

"Yeah, maybe not a top priority anymore."

They shared a smile that slowly faded.

"So what happened?" Zach asked abruptly. "I mean, we watched the news, but you were _there_. Why were you there?"

Owen recounted the events of the past weeks, from when Claire had recruited him to escaping the Indoraptor and the exhausting questioning that followed.

Zach shook his head in disbelief. "How messed up do you have to be to sell dinosaurs as weapons?"

"Well, that's the scary thing. You don't have to be messed up at all. You just have to care more about money than people."

"Like I said, messed up."

Owen noticed the teenager's pensive expression. "Something else on your mind?"

Zach shifted. "I don't know if you want to talk about it…"

Owen chuckled dryly. "Kid, I've been through so much the past few weeks, no topic is off-limits. Hit me."

"Okay…do you…do you ever think about Blue?" Zach asked, getting the words out quickly like he was afraid Owen might interrupt. "I mean, obviously now with everything going on—but I mean, did you think about her the past few years?"

Owen rolled a twig between his palms and gazed out into the distance.

"I tried not to," he admitted. "But it wasn't easy. Those raptors, they grew on me."

"I guess they were kind of like your kids."

Owen smiled wistfully and nodded. "Kids who might've eaten me if I ever gave them the chance. But yeah. I raised them all from birth. We bonded. Then I lost three in one night and had to leave the fourth behind. Honestly didn't think I'd ever see her again."

"Gray said velociraptors are pack hunters."

"That's right."

"So what does that mean for Blue?"

Owen scratched his chin, considering. "Well, raptors are like people. They need company. Can you imagine life without Gray?"

Zach frowned. "I was five when he was born, but I don't really remember those years. I guess I can't."

"Blue grew up with three sisters. They were a team. She's been surviving without them for three years, and now she's alone in a world she doesn't know." He snapped the twig in half. "And I don't think I can help her this time."


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

Gray sat up in bed as the sun began to peek over the horizon. He couldn't remember the dream that had woken him, but his heart was still racing.

He tiptoed downstairs and made his way into the kitchen, where a familiar redhead was already sipping a cup of coffee and looking out the window.

"Aunt Claire?"

She turned and smiled. "Hey, sweetie. What are you doing up?"

He rubbed his eyes and hopped onto a stool at the breakfast bar. "Can't sleep."

"Yeah, that seems to be a pattern around here."

"I keep thinking I hear dinosaurs, but then it turns out it's just Zach snoring or a dog barking or the air conditioner." He fiddled with the salt shaker. "Do you think it'll ever go away?"

"I don't know," his aunt said honestly.

"I was doing better," Gray confessed. "Now it's like I'm right back where I started."

Claire knew the feeling.

"Let's talk about something else," she suggested. "You're starting high school in the fall, right? Are you excited?"

Gray shrugged. "I don't know. I'm pretty much a nerd, and every movie I've ever seen says that's not a good thing to be in high school."

Claire smiled. "You can't believe everything you see in the movies."

Gray adopted a wide-eyed expression. "You mean _Iron Man_ isn't based on a true story?" he asked sarcastically.

They both laughed, turning as someone else entered the kitchen.

"Morning," Zach mumbled, shuffling to the table and burying his face in his arms.

"Couldn't sleep, either?" Claire asked sympathetically. She took the answering grunt as a 'no.'

Gray reached for the coffee pot, pouring another cup. He added two sugar cubes and set the drink in front of his brother. Zach raised his head at the inviting smell. He took a sip and smiled.

"Thanks. Owen's still asleep?"

Claire shook her head. "He said he was going for a run." She checked the time on the microwave. "He should be back any minute."

As if on cue, they heard the front door open and shut. Owen loped into the kitchen, grinning.

"Good morning, sleepyheads!"

"It's seven o'clock," Zach pointed out, yawning.

"I've been up since five." Owen said ruefully. "Old habits die hard." He sat down just as Karen entered the room. She slipped into the last chair at the table and watched as Claire switched on the little television on the counter.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to find the news."

"Oh, Claire, let's not—"

Claire stopped channel surfing when she recognized the CNN banner. The screen was split between a woman in a newsroom and a male reporter in the field. He was mid-sentence.

"…committee has reconvened to assess the situation and recommend an appropriate course of action. After the San Diego incident in '97, measures were put in place in the event of a repeat episode, but they weren't designed to address a situation of this magnitude. There has been difficulty procuring the necessary supplies, and containment will be an issue."

The female reporter nodded in solemn agreement. "Have any of the dinosaurs been recaptured at this point?"

"Yes, there has been one successful recovery. A pachycephalosaurus was found not far from Benjamin Lockwood's estate and was tranquilized. We have been assured it is securely detained and is being kept in an undisclosed location until a more permanent solution is determined. Meanwhile, stories are pouring in from all over the west coast of dinosaur sightings. A pack of compsognathus were allegedly spotted in Carson City. A tourist in Santa Rosa raised the alarm over what turned out to be a native skink."

"Jay, what's the danger of these false dinosaur sightings?"

"Well, Samantha, it's the story of the boy who cried wolf. If officials waste their resources attempting to respond to every potential threat, they won't be sufficiently prepared when an actual emergency happens."

"Right. Viewers, please take note. Be vigilant, but remember that not every shaking branch equals a prehistoric predator and sometimes a lizard is just a lizard. One final question—has the Dinosaur Protection Group released any kind of statement in the wake of the incident?"

"No, the DPG has been surprisingly mute about this situation. There are rumors that Its organizer, Claire Dearing, the former operations manager at Jurassic World, was present at Lockwood Estate that night, but we have been assured that Ms. Dearing is not a suspect at this time."

"Thanks, Jay. In other news—"

Claire clicked the TV off. "I can't believe there haven't been more incidents yet."

"Well, Lockwood's place _was_ in the middle of nowhere," Owen mused.

"Do you think maybe they're covering stuff up?" Gray asked. "I mean, to keep people calm?"

Owen exchanged a look with Claire. He hadn't thought of that, but it wasn't hard to imagine.

"I think it'd be tough to hide a dinosaur attack from the public, but it's definitely a possibility if it happened in a rural area."

"It isn't like a T-rex is going to be able to sneak around without anyone noticing," Zach pointed out. "They're kind of big. And loud."

"Yes, but some of the smaller dinosaurs aren't so obvious and are almost as dangerous." Claire looked sideways at Owen and pursed her lips. "Like Blue."

"What about Blue?" Maisie stood in the doorway.

"Hey, look who decided to wake up!" Karen greeted her warmly. "At least one of us got some sleep."

"What's going to happen now?" Gray pressed.

Owen leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, rubbing his hands together.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "I guess the government will try to get all the dinos rounded up and take 'em somewhere."

"They won't hurt them, will they?" Maisie asked anxiously.

Owen exchanged a look with Claire. "I'm sure they'll do whatever they can not to," he said carefully.

Maisie's lip trembled.

Zach broke in. "What about the ones that got sold off?"

"They'll probably be harder to find," Owen acknowledged.

"People are gonna get hurt, aren't they," Gray said quietly. It wasn't a question.

"We don't know that," Claire said too quickly.

Zach was reminded suddenly of three years ago. ' _He's scared. It's okay to lie when people are scared!'_ The grim expression on Gray's face showed he wasn't buying it this time.

Maisie hung her head. "This is all my fault. I let the dinosaurs out. They were dying and I just didn't know what to do. And now everyone's panicking."

"Hey, hey," Owen waved his hands. "You weren't the one who collected them for a freak auction. This is all on Mills. Whatever happens now, it is _not_ because of you."

Claire nodded emphatically. "If anyone here is at fault, it's me. I encouraged genetic experimentation in the first place. If I hadn't let them make the Indominus, they would never have been able to make the Indoraptor."

"How 'bout this?" Karen said loudly, standing up. "Everybody stops blaming themselves, and instead of thinking about what we _could_ have done, we focus on what we should do _now_."

"Breakfast!" Gray chimed in.


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

Later that day, Karen went in search of Owen. She found him playing video games with her younger son in the living room. When she cleared her throat, Gray paused the game and they both turned their attention to her.

"Owen, I have a question, and I'm asking you to please answer honestly."

The former raptor trainer furrowed his brow. "Okay…I'll do my best."

"How likely is it that any of the dinosaurs will make it all the way to Wisconsin before they're rounded up?"

"Very unlikely," Owen assured her. "These animals aren't used to having unlimited space to run around in. The herbivores will probably congregate and be pretty easy to locate." He winced. "And the carnivores...well, they won't be in any hurry as long as there's a food supply."

Karen swallowed at the implication. She turned to Gray. "Honey, do you think you could find your dinosaur books in the basement?"

He sat up, frowning. "Probably. Why?"

"I was thinking it might be a good idea to do a little research on the dinosaurs that escaped." Her cheeks turned faintly pink. "Just in case."

"I can go look for them," Gray offered.

Owen stretched, climbing to his feet. "I'll come with you."

The door to the basement was located in the kitchen. Gray flicked a light switch and led the way down a creaky set of stairs to the unfinished space, crowded with boxes and old sports equipment. An ancient treadmill was swathed in cobwebs in one corner and a fake Christmas tree dominated a second.

"They're down here somewhere," Gray grimaced. "But when my dad moved out, a lot of stuff got pushed around."

Owen took in the chaos and scratched his head. "Well, okay. Let's get crackin.'"

They split up, each tackling half of the room. Some of the boxes were labeled, but many were not. Owen found a bin of baby clothes and a shoebox filled with photos, but no books.

Finally, Gray emerged from a corner with dust in his hair and a cardboard box in his arms.

"I think this is it." He balanced the carton on the bottom step and curled his fingers under the flaps, easily breaking through the masking tape. They were greeted by the image of a T-rex roaring from the cover of a _National Geographic_ magazine. Gray jumped and then laughed shakily. "Yeah, this is it."

Owen squeezed his shoulder and scooped the box into his arms. "C'mon. Let's get these upstairs."

 **:**

Karen sorted the books into two piles; those written when fossils were the closest anyone got to seeing a dinosaur, and those written after the de-extinction.

"I think I'll start with this one," she joked, holding up a copy of _Dinosaurs For Dummies_ by Alan Grant.

"This isn't exactly the summer reading I had in mind." Zach wrinkled his nose as he thumbed through a Jurassic encyclopedia.

Maisie stared at the book in her hands—a study about the wonders and possibilities of genetic experimentation. Quietly, she backed out of the group and slipped up the stairs.

"What's going on?" Claire asked, sliding onto the couch.

"Mom wants us all to be dinosaur experts," Gray explained, filling his mouth with popcorn.

Karen shot him a disapproving look. "That's not what I said. I just think it would be useful to build up some basic knowledge. I mean, most of what I know about dinosaurs I learned from those _Land Before Time_ movies you used to like so much."

"I called stegosauruses 'spiketails' until I was eight," Gray recalled.

Claire broke in. "Well, I think it's a good idea. We're not going to be able to keep our minds off of all this anyway, so we might as well be productive."

"Spoken like a true Type A," Owen declared, grinning when Claire stuck out her tongue.

Karen pawed at the stack on the coffee table, pulling out a thin paperback with a lot of pictures. She reached for her notebook.

"Okay. Let's start with the gallimimus."

 **:**

After some time, Claire noticed Maisie was missing. Concerned, she climbed the stairs and knocked on the closed bedroom door.

"Maisie? Sweetie?" When there was no response, she eased the door open. Maisie was sitting on the side of the bed, her back to Claire. "Maisie?"

She stepped further into the room and noticed the book resting on the pillow, opened to a passage about the inevitability of human cloning. She flipped it over and was not surprised to see Henry Wu's name staring up at her in block letters from the cover.

"Why were you reading this?"

Maisie shrugged. "I thought it might give me some answers about why I was created. Like maybe I'm supposed to cure cancer someday." She laughed hollowly.

Claire's heart sank. She'd known this conversation was going to happen at some point, but she'd counted on Owen being there. She sat down.

"Maisie, you don't need to have a bigger purpose. You're just a kid."

"I was made in a _lab_ ," Maisie spat. "I'm pretty sure that makes me a freak."

"You are _not_ a freak," Claire said, aghast. "Why would you even think that?" When Maisie didn't reply, she pressed. "Do you think the dinosaurs are freaks?"

"Only the Indoraptor."

"And it was genetically modified. Its DNA came from any number of sources. Can you jump unusually high? Camouflage?"

"No."

"Exactly. Because you're _not_ some experiment cooked up in a lab. You're a person. You are here because your grandfather had so much love in his heart, and he needed to give it to someone."

"Except he wasn't even my grandfather!"

Claire stroked her hair. "The only thing that matters is what he meant to you, and what you meant to him."

Maisie snorted. "He didn't even love _me_. He loved…the other me. The real me."

"You _are_ the real you," Claire insisted. "Listen, he might have recycled DNA, but your genetic makeup doesn't define who you are. You are your own person, Maisie, and your grandfather knew that. And he loved you. Maisie, he loved _you._ Deep down, you know that's true."

Maisie was silent for a long moment. Finally, she released a heavy sigh and nodded toward the book on her pillow.

"Do you think he knows about me?" She was clearly referring to Wu.

Claire pursed her lips. "No, and he is never going to find out."

"He doesn't seem to care much about cloning. What I've found is mostly about creating new life forms by using parts of existing creatures. It's kind of frightening."

Claire spoke carefully. "I worked with Henry Wu for years. For him, it's all about the act of creation. He doesn't care about money, but he also doesn't particularly care who or what he has to manipulate to get results. And as far as I know, he's never really cared about applying his research to help other people. Henry's a very intelligent man, but he's missing something you definitely have."

"What's that?"

"Heart. Maisie, you _saved_ those dinosaurs. And you weren't thinking about their scientific value to the world when you did it. You couldn't bear to see them suffer, because they are living creatures. You cared about them. There's nothing more human than that."

Maisie stared at the floor. "I think I'm just going to rest for a little while."

Claire recognized the dismissal for what it was.

"Okay." Instinctively, she leaned over and kissed the little girl on the head, squeezing her once. Then she made her way out of the room, pausing only to collect Wu's book.

She stepped into the hallway, pulling the door shut and leaning back against it.

"Aunt Claire?"

She jumped as Gray materialized from the shadows, his eyes wide in the fading light.

"What was Maisie talking about, being made in a lab?"


	5. Chapter 5

**5**

The three Mitchells stared at Claire, digesting what they'd just been told.

"That poor child," Karen said quietly.

Claire was stern. "You can't tell _anyone_."

"We won't," Gray said immediately.

Owen leaned forward. "We're serious about this, guys. You've seen firsthand the way genetic manipulation can get out of hand, and we don't know what would happen if the wrong people found out."

"We're serious, too," Zach said, looking straight into Owen's eyes. "We won't tell anyone."

Owen smiled. "I know you won't."

Lucy had been dormant on the carpet during this conversation, so when she suddenly sat up, ears perked, everyone turned in time to see Maisie disappear back up the stairs.

Claire made to follow, and Zach grabbed her arm.

"Let me and Gray talk to her." Seeing his aunt's hesitation, he added, "She needs to know that her secret is safe with us."

Claire nodded reluctantly. "Okay."

Owen blew out a breath. "We really need to have a talk about eavesdropping."

Upstairs, Gray knocked on his bedroom door. "Maisie? It's me and Zach. Can we come in?"

"It's your room," came the subdued reply. The brothers looked at each other and decided to take that as a 'yes.'

Maisie was huddled in Gray's beanbag chair in the corner, clutching a journal to her chest and staring down at the floor. She didn't look up when they walked in.

Zach sat cross-legged on the floor a few feet away and Gray perched on the bed, swinging his legs.

"Maisie," Zach began, "It doesn't matter where you came from."

"I think it's awesome!" Gray exclaimed, ignoring his brother's warning look. "You're the first human clone ever!"

"Gray, not the time," Zach hissed.

Maisie slowly unfolded her legs and turned to face them. She sighed. "I'm not even sure what's bothering me the most. I just feel betrayed. Grandpa lied to me, and now he isn't here to explain why. It feels like everything came crashing down at once, and I don't know where I fit anymore. And seeing what happened with the Indoraptor…I don't want to be turned into some kind of science experiment."

"We aren't going to tell anyone," Zach assured her.

"We wouldn't do that," Gray added. "But not because there's anything wrong with you. You're just…different."

"I don't want to be different," Maisie whispered.

"I don't think we get to choose," Gray said apologetically. He nodded at the book Maisie was holding. "What's that?"

"It's Grandpa's secret journal. He's never let me look inside, but I took it from his bedroom," Maisie admitted. "...do you think that's okay?"

Zach shrugged. "If you're the only family he had, I think that means it belongs to you now."

She flipped it over, and then over again. "I'm afraid to read it."

"Why?"

"He always kept it so private...what if there are more secrets in here? Things I might not want to know?"

Gray slipped off the bed and joined the other two on the floor. "But what if it answers some of your questions?"

Maisie ran her fingers across the cover. Then she reached between the pages and pulled out a photo. She looked up at the brothers, almost shyly.

"The thing is, I knew something was off. I saw this photograph." She held it out. It looked like an old snapshot of Maisie herself, but when the brothers looked at her questioningly, Maisie shook her head. "It's not me. I mean, it _is_ me, but…it's not."

"Wow," Gray said, looking from the picture to Maisie.

She slid the photo back into the book. "If there's more Grandpa was hiding, I'm not sure I want to find out."

"Do you want one of us to look at it?" Gray asked.

Maisie chewed on her lip as she considered the offer. "No," she decided. "I need to do this myself. I'm just not ready yet."

 **:**

Zach woke early the next morning, after a surprisingly solid night of sleep.

He rolled over and pulled his phone off the charger. It had become a morning ritual to check the news first thing, in case he needed to run damage control with his mother or brother.

The past few mornings had held little of interest, but today there was a red banner across the top of the screen and the first word his eyes caught was 'killed.' Reluctantly, he tapped the link and skimmed the article grimly.

 _Tyrannosaurus Rex…attack at the Sacramento Zoo…happened after hours…three employees killed…_

Zach grimaced. Sometimes having 24/7 access to news really sucked.

He found his aunt and Owen in the kitchen, making coffee.

"I don't think we should watch the news this morning," he said, holding the screen out so they could see.

Owen cursed and rubbed a hand down his face. "Well, it was going to happen sooner or later."

Gray chose that moment to walk in. He saw Claire, whose eyes had filled with tears, and stopped short.

"Aunt Claire? What's wrong?"

She brushed at her eyes and tried to laugh. "Nothing, sweetie."

Pursing his lips, Gray turned to Zach, who reluctantly handed over his phone. Gray read the headline and his shoulders slumped.

"Let's not tell Mom and Maisie."

"Tell me what?" Karen padded into the room on slippered feet.

Owen, a much better actor than Claire, adopted a "caught in the act" expression.

"Well, we were gonna surprise you with breakfast, but looks like that ship just sailed."

If Karen suspected anything, she didn't show it. She laughed and helped herself to the rest of the coffee.

"Hey, if you want to make breakfast, go right ahead. I'll consider myself off duty."

"In fact, why don't we leave you boys in charge this morning?" Claire suggested.

Owen looked vaguely panicked. "Claire, I'm not so sure that's a good idea. Remember when I tried to make you breakfast in bed?"

Claire smiled slyly. "Oh, that was one time. I'm sure you won't set my sister's kitchen on fire."

"Fire?" Karen squeaked.

Gray gave her a gentle push in the direction of the living room. "Relax, Mom. We'll have Owen butter the toast."

 **:**

Sometime after breakfast, Zach traipsed into the living room. It was empty except for Maisie, who was curled up in an armchair with a book in her lap. There were several more stacked on the end table next to her.

"Do you mind if I hang out in here with you?" She shook her head, and he flopped onto the couch. He eyed the books at Maisie's elbow. "You like to read, huh?"

She blushed. "I like to learn new things."

"I'm not much of a reader," Zach confessed, holding up his phone. "So I've been looking at lists of interesting dinosaur facts online." He glanced at the screen. "Listen to this one: some dinosaurs swallow rocks."

Maisie nodded, launching into lecture mode. "Sauropods use them for digestion. The rocks, called gastroliths, grind down their food, and then they spit them out."

Zach squinted. "And…which ones are sauropods?"

She smiled. "The really big ones with long necks, like the brachiosaurus, brontosaurus, and apatosaurus."

"You know a lot about dinosaurs, huh? So does Gray."

"What's it like to have a little brother?" Maisie asked curiously. "I always sort of wished I had one."

Zach made a face. "Annoying, mostly." He grinned. "I'm kidding. I mean, he drives me crazy sometimes, but he's okay."

"You seem to get along pretty well."

"We didn't always," Zach admitted. "What happened at Jurassic World changed a lot of stuff."

Maisie set her book aside. "Will you tell me about it? The park, I mean. Was it as amazing as it sounds?"

Zach's eyes glazed over as the memories of those first few hours on the island returned. He recalled the awed look on Gray's face when they'd first arrived at the resort, and the way his own heart had soared guiding the gyrosphere across the grassy plain.

He smiled. "Yeah. It was incredible."


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

Claire sat on the front porch, half-reading and half-watching Owen tinker with the Mitchells' lawn mower. Judging by the language reaching her ears and the sound of tools hitting the pavement, it wasn't going very well.

She was debating reminding Owen that her nephews were good mechanics (they'd started a jeep in the middle of the jungle, after all), when the front door swung open and Karen stepped outside with the cordless phone, a confused expression on her face.

"Someone named Zia's calling for you?"

Claire had almost forgotten she'd given Zia her sister's number. She nodded and mouthed 'coworker,' accepting the phone and waving Owen over. He looked relieved to be given a distraction.

"Zia? It's me and Owen, you're on speaker."

The other woman didn't waste any time on pleasantries. "Did you guys see the news this morning?"

Claire slumped. "Yes, we know what happened."

"Have you been following along the past few hours?"

Claire frowned. "No…"

Zia heaved a sigh. "Well, you should. It might give you an idea of what we're up against."

"We?"

"The DPG, Claire. You still wanna protect the dinosaurs, right?"

Claire sighed. "Of course. It's just…gotten a lot more complicated."

Zia snorted. "You're telling me. Anyway, since this morning, protestors have been marching in all the big cities, demanding the dinos be taken out. As in, killed. For 'the good of mankind,' they're saying."

Claire's grip tightened on the phone. She wasn't surprised, but somehow her brain hadn't made it far enough to consider the consequences of the first casualties of this latest disaster.

"That sounds like something Ian Malcolm might say. Do you think he has anything to do with this?"

Owen finally piped in. "I doubt it. That guy's all about 'letting nature run its course.' He probably thinks we brought this on ourselves and we deserve whatever happens now."

"Raptor Guy's right," Zia said. "I think this is just the usual batch of angry and scared citizens. They've got the upper hand now, and they know it."

Claire rubbed her forehead. "So what can we do?" She was usually the one to take charge, but right now it felt like her brain wasn't cooperating.

"Help get the dinosaurs rounded up before the mobs get too antsy," Owen supplied.

"Right again, Dino Man. Of course, that's anything but simple. First off, do we even know how many dinosaurs are out there? We didn't exactly take a head count before releasing them into the wild."

"Do you think there was a manifest of which species were taken from the island?" Claire asked. "I thought Wheatley had something like that."

Owen nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure they had a record. But we don't know if the investigators have found it yet, or if it's even still around."

"Plus, there's the psychos at the auction," Zia pointed out. "Who knows how many of them got away with what they bought?"

Claire sighed. "So there may be no way of knowing how many dinosaurs are actually on the loose."

Zia hummed thoughtfully. "I was with those guys for a while, so I have a pretty good idea of the kind of number we're looking at. I guess I could give the feds a call, see if they found the list. It's a start." She paused. "How's the kid?"

"Maisie's okay. We're all okay." Claire frowned. "Where are _you_?"

"Franklin and I are at his parents' house in Cleveland. In fact, do me a favor and say hi. He's been breathing down my neck this whole time." Her voice became slightly muted as she handed over the phone. "Buddy, you need an Altoid."

"Shut up." Franklin said. "Claire?"

"So Zia's staying with you?" she teased.

She could practically hear him adjusting his glasses nervously. "It is _not_ like that. Zia's family is in Mexico. She can't go there right now because those government guys said we're not supposed to leave the country." He lowered his voice. "Don't tell her I said this, but I'm glad she's here. It's nice to be have someone else around who went through it, too."

Claire glanced at Owen. "I know what you mean."

"Plus, she's totally got my parents under her spell. I don't think they're ever going to let me out of their sight again, but at least for the moment that anxiety isn't all directed at me."

Claire had to smile. It sounded like the apple didn't fall far from the tree when it came to Franklin's family.

"Well, hang in there, and don't let Zia kick you around too much. And hey, give me your parents' number so I can reach you."

 **:**

Meanwhile, Gray had joined the other two adolescents in the den. They'd given up on reading, and the boys were enthusiastically trying to teach Maisie how to play their favorite racing video game.

"You just press this button here to go," Gray explained, indicating the little 'A' on the remote in Maisie's hands. "And use this toggle to steer."

Zach had the other controller. "We'll start on an easy level."

As it turned out, Maisie was quite skilled at the game. She beat Zach on the first three courses, at which point he turned to her accusingly.

"This isn't your first time."

"I never said I hadn't played before," Maisie pointed out, smiling slyly.

"Oh, it's on!" Gray snatched up his brother's controller.

 **:**

After hanging up with Zia and Franklin, Claire went in search of her sister. She found Karen frowning into the refrigerator.

"I need to go to the grocery," Karen murmured, mostly to herself.

Claire leaned against the counter. "Kare, what's up? You've been really quiet all day."

Her sister shut the fridge door and crossed her arms, staring at a Chicago magnet at eye level. Claire was prepared to be blown off, so she was surprised when Karen sighed and dropped the defensive stance.

"Is it a terrible thing for me to say I'm jealous of you?"

More surprises. "Why would you be jealous of me?"

"Because you know what it's _like_." At Claire's baffled expression, Karen continued. "I'm not saying I wish I had been on that island three years ago, okay? But Zach and Gray went through an experience I can't possibly understand, and I don't know how to help them. The five of you have been through it together. I can't measure up."

"It isn't a competition, Karen," Claire said gently. "You're their mother. I could never replace that."

Karen smiled tightly. "But they don't want a mother. They want a cool, ass-kicking aunt."

Claire didn't know what to say to that. The truth was that she enjoyed her relationship with her nephews. After her seven-year absence from their lives, followed by her failure to adequately protect them at Jurassic World, she had been afraid they wouldn't want anything to do with her. She wasn't blind to the fact that both Zach and Gray looked up to her in a way they clearly didn't with Karen. But that didn't mean they didn't still need their mom.

"Why don't Owen and I take care of the grocery run?" she suggested. "We can take Maisie with us, give you and the boys some time." She pulled her older sister into a hug. "Everything's going to be all right."


	7. Chapter 7

**7**

"So who do you usually play video games with?" Zach asked during a break between races.

Maisie pulled at a loose thread in the carpet. "My friend Joel. He's the groundskeeper's son." Her face fell. "But Mr. Barnes probably won't be the groundskeeper now that Grandpa's gone. And…I guess I won't be living there anymore, anyways." She hung her head.

Zach and Gray shared a look, unsure how to backpedal to the amiable atmosphere they'd been enjoying. They were saved by Owen knocking on the doorjamb to announce his and Claire's entrance.

"Hey guys, sorry to break up the game, but we're headed to the grocery and we were hoping to take Maisie with us."

"I'll go!" Gray offered.

Claire smiled. "Thanks, sweetie, but I think you and Zach should spend some time with your mom. She's feeling a little left out."

"Left out?" Zach asked incredulously. "Why, because she doesn't have dreams about being chased by giant prehistoric reptiles?"

Claire shot Owen a quick look and he ushered Maisie from the room, telling her to go find her jacket and shoes. Then the redhead knelt next to her nephews.

"How has your mom been doing lately? Is there anything I should know?"

Gray shook his head at the same time Zach blurted, "She drinks more than she used to." He looked relieved to have said it, as it if was a weight off his shoulders.

Claire wasn't surprised. "How long has that been going on?"

"A few months, I guess." Zach glanced at his brother. "I've been at school, but Gray keeps me updated."

"I didn't want to tell you," Gray confessed quietly to his aunt. "She's trying really hard."

Claire squeezed his shoulder. "She's worried she can't help you guys. That you don't really need her."

"Well, that's stupid," Gray said. "She's our mom."

"And she loves you both so much. So can you do me a favor? Just hang out with her a little this afternoon. Make her feel included."

 **:**

"Okay, what do we need?" Owen asked, pulling a shopping cart out of the long line at the entrance to the supermarket.

Claire ran her finger down the list. "Milk, bread, eggs…it's pretty standard." She flipped the index card over and the corners of her mouth quirked up. "Chocolate, Mountain Dew, Cheetos…this is definitely Gray's handwriting."

Owen smiled. "So, a little of the basics, a little junk food. Let's split up." He grabbed another cart and pushed the first toward Claire. "You two hit the produce and bread aisles and I'll handle the sugar and dairy."

Claire watched him take off before looking down at Maisie. She wondered if the little girl had ever been grocery shopping before. Surely Benjamin Lockwood had never taken her, but maybe Iris had.

"Anything in particular you'd like to get?" she asked brightly.

Maisie shook her head.

Inwardly, Claire sighed. She knew that Owen had left Maisie with her to give them more bonding time, and she appreciated that. But the little girl was clearly more comfortable with Owen or even Zach and Gray, and Claire didn't know how to get her to open up.

As they started down the list, Maisie followed Claire silently around the store. Claire was discouraged but continued trying to initiate a conversation.

"So, how was the game going? Who was winning?"

This elicited a small smile. "I was."

"Good for you!" Claire realized too late that Maisie might take her over-enthusiasm as condescension. "I mean, boys always think they're better at everything, right?"

Maisie nodded. "Like playing sports."

"Or driving vans."

Maisie looked confused by that comment, and Claire racked her brain for another topic of discussion as they moved around the produce section. She was trying to decide between honeycrisp and gala apples when she heard her name being called.

"Claire? Claire Dearing?"

A woman with gray hair stood a few feet away, holding a bag of onions.

"Yes?" Claire said cautiously.

The stranger's face broke into a smile. "It's Gilda Pearson, dear. I suppose I do look somewhat different. It's been a long time."

Gilda had been the Dearings' neighbor growing up, but it had been a good seventeen years since Claire had last seen her. She remembered Gilda as being a loud woman with dyed red hair and an unusual preoccupation with teddy bears. Judging by the design knitted on the front of her sweater, that last part hadn't changed.

"It's good to see you again," Claire said politely.

"And who is this?" Gilda asked, peering down at Maisie through oversized purple spectacles. "Your daughter?"

"Yes," Claire said, before Maisie could react. "This is Maisie."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you Maisie," Gilda said kindly. "You know, I knew your mother when she was just a baby." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "She liked to run around the yard in her underwear."

Claire blushed. She didn't remember that. Maisie smiled slightly, which Gilda seemed to accept as an adequate response. She straightened and fixed her beady eyes on Claire again.

"I didn't know you were back in the area."

"I'm not," Claire said. "We're just here visiting Karen." She glanced at her watch and hoped she sounded genuine when she said, "And we really need to get going, I'm afraid."

"Say no more!" Gilda patted Maisie on the head. "It was lovely to meet you, Maisie. Until next time, Claire!" And she breezed away, the onions swinging back and forth.

Claire breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been afraid Gilda would bring up Jurassic World and the dinosaurs, but the woman either wasn't aware of Claire's former position there or it slipped her mind during the conversation. That was a can of worms Claire _really_ didn't want to open in the middle of the grocery store.

"Why did you tell her I was your daughter?"

Claire turned. Maisie was looking at her, wearing an expression Claire couldn't decipher.

"Because it was simpler," Claire said honestly. "And…because I'm hoping you will be." She said the words without even thinking about it, verbalizing something that had been on her mind constantly the past couple of weeks.

Tears sprang to Maisie's eyes. "But you barely know me."

"I know you're a very sweet girl with a big heart." She took a step closer but stopped when Maisie took a step back.

"All my life, I thought I had a mother. Grandpa used to talk about her all the time. About how alike we were." A tear slid down her cheek, which she quickly brushed away. "I just found out that I never really had a mom at all. And now you're saying _you_ want to be my mom, and I don't know what to believe anymore."

Claire resisted the urge to sweep the girl into a hug. "Oh honey, I'm sorry. This isn't the right time to talk about this."

"But you want me to stay with you?" Maisie asked, sniffling.

"Of course we do." Owen had found them. "If that's what you want. And that isn't something you have to decide right this minute."

Maisie ran to wrap her arms around Owen's middle, and Claire tried not to feel hurt. Then the girl turned and shyly embraced Claire, too, and for the first time since this whole thing started, Claire began to think everything might work out after all.


	8. Chapter 8

**8**

As soon as the others were gone, Gray left Zach in front of the television and went looking for their mother. He found her in the kitchen, sitting at the counter and flipping through a recipe book.

"Mom?"

Karen looked up and smiled. "Hi, honey. You guys all done with the game?"

He nodded. "I thought maybe we could make cookies."

Baking cookies had always been a special thing for Gray and his mom, and he was hoping the activity would give him an opening to tell her about the dream he'd last night.

To his relief, Karen agreed. "That sounds fun. I think we have some chocolate chips in the pantry."

As they gathered the ingredients, Gray considered how to broach the subject. He didn't want to be too obvious; he figured his mom wouldn't be pleased if she found out Aunt Claire had interfered.

"So, it turns out Maisie's pretty good at video games."

His mom dug the measuring cups out of a drawer by the sink. "Good. You boys need someone to bring you down a peg or two," she teased. "By the way, I'm really proud of you both for making her feel welcome here. She's been through a lot. This must be an incredibly confusing time for her."

Gray shrugged. "She's quiet, but she's nice. And she likes dinosaurs, too, so we have that in common."

Karen handed Gray the carton of eggs. "Good thing Claire's at the store—these are all we have left." She surveyed the assortment on the counter. "Okay, we're all set."

"How many can we make?" Gray asked eagerly.

"About two dozen. That should be plenty for six people."

"I could eat more! I'll eat so many, I'll weigh a thousand pounds!"

Karen laughed. "And yet, you'd still be able to beat me in a race."

"Speaking of racing," Gray began casually, "did you know that most meat-eating dinosaurs have bones filled with air, like birds? That's why the T-rex can run fast, even though it's so big."

"I didn't know that," Karen said. "Can you measure the sugar for me?"

They fell silent as they blended the rest of the ingredients. Then Karen took a big spoon and began stirring it all together.

Gray licked his lips. "Mmm…that looks good."

His mother pointed a finger accusingly. "Don't think I don't notice when you steal some of the dough. Moms have eyes in the back of their heads."

He grinned. "Well, herbivores have eyes on the _side_ of their heads, so they can see predators coming."

His mom made a noncommittal noise.

Gray decided to try a more direct approach. "I had a nightmare last night about the raptors. They make this sound…it's impossible to describe." He shuddered involuntarily. "I still remember it exactly."

Karen hummed. "Why don't we talk about something else?"

"I'm just trying to tell you about my dream."

"And I'm just suggesting we pick another subject."

Gray frowned in frustration, dropping all pretense. "Aunt Claire said we should include you more in things. But how are we supposed to do that, when you don't seem to want to talk about anything to do with the dinosaurs?"

Karen's hand stilled, and she stared into the mixing bowl. Then she looked up with a cheerful smile.

"Hey honey, I just remembered that I need to make a couple of phone calls. How about we bake these when everyone else gets back?"

Gray blinked, thrown by the sudden change in topic. "Okay…"

"Great!" His mom whisked the bowl away. "Could you please take Lucy for a quick walk?"

Gray nodded slowly. He wasn't sure why, but he had the feeling he was missing something.

 **:**

After about half an hour of messing around on his phone, Zach decided to go looking for Gray and their mother. He didn't find his brother, but their mother was in his dad's former study.

"Mom?"

Karen sat in the rolling desk chair, one leg pulled up underneath her and the other propelling the chair in slow circles. Zach's heart plummeted when he spotted the bottle of whiskey in her lap.

"What are you doing?"

She jumped—she hadn't noticed him come in. She stopped spinning and offered him a guilty smile.

"Hi, honey. What's up?"

His eyes flicked to the container of alcohol. "You promised you'd stop."

"I'm just having a little bit!" she said defensively.

"That's what you said last time."

"Hey, who's the parent here?"

Zach crossed his arms. "I don't know, Mom, why don't you tell me? You're the one drinking whiskey at four in the afternoon."

She stood up. "I don't like your tone, young man."

"Well, I don't like it when you get drunk!" He deflated. "What's going on, Mom? What's wrong?

Karen emitted a high-pitched squeal Zach recognized as her "fake laugh."

"Nothing's wrong, honey!"

"Bullshit."

"Hey! Watch your language."

Zach threw up his hands in frustration. "I'm just trying to help! Obviously, _something_ is bugging you."

"It isn't your job to help me. It's my job to help you." Karen took the cap off the whiskey bottle. "Now, unless you want to join me…"

Zach shook his head and backed out of the room. He couldn't deal with his mother when she was like this.

 **:**

When Claire, Owen, and Maisie pulled into the driveway, Zach was waiting for them on the front porch.

Claire left Owen and Maisie to unload the bags from the car as she approached her nephew. "Zach?"

"I need your help," he said, his face drawn.

"Of course, sweetie. What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "It's Mom. She's been drinking."

Claire's heart fell. "Where is she?"

"She's in the den. I sent Gray upstairs…he doesn't like to see her like this." Zach looked away. "Neither do I."

Owen caught on. "Maisie, go upstairs and help Gray pick out a board game. I'll put the groceries away and be right up."

Maisie looked confused, but she obeyed without protest.

Claire squeezed Zach's shoulder. "Zach, why don't you go with them? I'll take care of your mom."

Zach hesitated. "Are you sure?

"Absolutely."

He looked relieved. "Thanks, Aunt Claire."

Steeling herself, Claire headed for the living room. Karen was sitting lopsided on the couch, red-faced. She had one hand wrapped around the neck of a bottle of whiskey and appeared to be trying to dial the phone with the other.

"Karen, what are you doing?" Claire asked gently, stepping toward her sister.

Karen's face it up. "Claire! Come over here and help me—the numbers keep moving around, and I'm trying to call Scott."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Claire said, trying to decide whether it was more important for her to get the booze or the phone. She gingerly sat on the other end of the sofa.

"I just want to tell them how happy I am for them!" Karen swung the bottle in a wide arc, and Claire ducked to avoid being bludgeoned. Carefully, she pried her sister's fingers away from the bottle and placed it on the coffee table, out of reach.

"I think it's a much better idea for you to take a nap."

Karen frowned. "But I'm not tired," she said petulantly.

"I know, but you need to sleep this off. You don't want Zach or Gray to see you like this, do you?"

Karen blinked blearily. After a long moment, horror crossed her face.

"Oh, God."

 **:**

Upstairs, Owen, Zach, Gray, and Maisie were playing a subdued game of Monopoly.

Gray looked like he might cry. He was convinced his conversation with his mom had been what set Karen off. Zach thought he was probably right, but that didn't mean it was his little brother's fault.

Zach remembered the first time Gray had called him at college about their mom. 'She's throwing up,' he'd said. 'I don't know what to do! She's been acting weird, she was giggling a lot…' Zach had instructed his brother to go check the trash. When he'd done so, he'd found an empty wine bottle. Zach had put two and two together and explained to Gray that their mother was not sick; she was hungover. He was furious that his mom had put her sons in that position, when it was supposed to be her job to take care of them.

And now she'd gone and done it again.

Zach's jaw tightened, and he threw the dice with a little more force than necessary. One of the plastic cubes bounced away under Gray's dresser.

"I'll get it," Maisie offered, scrambling after the wayward game piece.

Zach sighed. He was just so _angry._


	9. Chapter 9

**9**

Claire glanced at her watch. It had was almost eight o'clock, which meant it had been three hours since she'd put Karen to bed. She didn't expect her sister to sleep through the night; the level of alcohol left in the bottle told Claire that Karen hadn't actually had _too_ much to drink—just enough to get her good and sloshed.

They'd ordered pizza for dinner, and Owen and the kids had settled down to watch a movie. But Claire was too restless, so she'd escaped to the kitchen and begun brainstorming the DPG's new strategy, now that protecting the dinosaurs had turned into a mainland mission. She wasn't coming up with much, so when the phone rang, she was happy for the distraction.

"Mitchell residence."

There was a pause, and then a man's voice. "Who is this?"

Claire frowned. "This is Claire."

"Claire? It's Scott."

"Oh, hi," Claire said awkwardly.

Her ex-brother-in-law sounded surprised. "What are you doing there?"

"Just…helping out. In light of recent events."

"That's a nice way of saying that everything's gone to shit." Scott sighed. "Well, anyway, I'm glad you're there. I'm sure Karen is, too. Can I talk to her?"

Claire opened her mouth to tell him that Karen was taking a nap, but at that moment the woman in question stepped into the room.

"Just a second," Claire said into the phone, taking a good look at her elder sister.

Karen's nose was red, and it was obvious she'd been crying. But her eyes were clear and she seemed sober enough.

"Who is it?" she asked.

Claire covered the receiver. "It's Scott."

"Let me talk to him."

"Are you sure?" When Karen nodded, Claire handed the phone over and slipped into the hallway to give her sister some privacy.

She studied the pictures on the wall across from the stairs. School portraits of Zach and Gray, a few years old by the looks of them. A family photo taken at Disney World when the boys were much younger. Claire noticed it was the only one that had Scott in it. She smiled when she saw the framed shot of herself and the boys from the ski vacation she'd taken them on a year ago.

"They had such a good time on that trip." Karen had joined her sister in the hallway. She looked wistfully at the photo. "They always do, when they're with you."

"You've got to stop putting yourself down," Claire told her.

Karen shrugged and changed the subject. "Scott wanted to tell me that he and Leanne are going to her parents' house in Chicago. Leanne won't stay in California because of the dinosaurs." She wiped her nose with a ratty tissue. "Nice of him to let us know how to reach him."

"Karen…"

A tear slid down Karen's cheek. "I'm so sorry, Claire. I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm sorry the _boys_ had to see that." She took a deep breath. "God, I'm a terrible mother."

"You're not a terrible mother," Claire argued. "You're just…going through a hard time. But I think you need to talk to someone."

More tears. "I know. I know I do. I'm so embarrassed. I'm just glad you were here."

Claire knew she couldn't be her sister's crutch forever, but there was no way she was leaving her nephews to deal with this on their own.

"I'm not going anywhere just yet. Owen and I think it'd be a good idea if we stayed a little while longer." She hadn't exactly discussed this with Owen, but she had a feeling he would agree after today. "If that's okay with you."

Karen hunched in on herself and nodded. "You can stay as long as you want."

Claire bit her lip. "Do you want to talk to Zach and Gray?" she asked quietly.

Her sister nodded. "Can you send them up to my room?" It was obvious she wasn't ready to face everyone at once, and Claire agreed.

 **:**

Gray led the way upstairs, a knot twisting in his stomach. Aunt Claire said Mom was better now, but he still didn't know what state he'd find her in. He didn't like seeing his mother anything less than her usual self. It reminded him that she was human and made mistakes, which was a disconcerting concept for a fourteen-year-old who had always looked to his parents for the answers.

Karen was sitting on the edge of the bed. She attempted to smile and patted the empty space next to her in invitation. Gray hurried to her side, but Zach stayed a few feet away, arms folded.

"How do you feel?" he asked stiffly.

"I'm okay." Her mouth wobbled. "Boys, I'm so sorry."

"You really scared us," Gray said softly.

"I'm so sorry," Karen repeated. "I never wanted to do that."

Gray wrapped his arms around his mother and buried his face in her shoulder. "I just want you to be happy again," he mumbled.

She stroked his hair. "Oh, sweetheart. _You_ make me happy." She pulled back and looked between her sons. "You know I love you both more than anything, right?" Both boys nodded, Zach less enthusiastically than Gray. "I know things haven't been great around here lately, but it's going to get better. I promise."

 **:**

The next day after breakfast, Claire went looking for Zach. She knew he was upset over what had transpired the night before, and he'd been avoiding everyone all morning. She finally located him on the back deck, slouched in a chair with his eyes glued to his phone.

"Zach?"

He didn't look up. "Did you know that dinosaurs were around for almost 180 million years? And there've only been people for like 2.5 million years?"

Claire smirked. "You sound like Gray."

Zach put his phone away and paced restlessly to the railing. "I'm serious. I mean, have you ever really thought about that? About how insignificant we are, in the grand scheme of things?"

Simon Masrani's words echoed from Claire's memory: _Jurassic World exists to remind us how very small we are. How new._

"Yes," she admitted. "What's your point?"

He sighed. "It puts problems in perspective. But…what's going to happen when summer ends and school starts back up? I can't leave Gray here alone with Mom like this."

Claire crossed the deck to her nephew. "You can't put your life on hold, Zach. Your mom's going to be just fine. And so is Gray."

"I blamed myself for what happened to us on the island," Zach admitted. "I was the one who decided to ditch Zara. I was the one who didn't take the gryosphere back when we were supposed to. I was the one who drove us through the broken gate."

"You couldn't have known—" Claire began, but he cut her off.

"I was supposed to take care of Gray. Instead I almost got him killed." He shook his head. "The point is, it took a long time for me to be able to forgive myself for what happened. Sometimes I still have trouble. Leaving for college was hard for me, and I don't think I could do it again, not with everything going on. I need to be _here_."

Zach's eyes beseeched his aunt to understand, and the thing was, she did. She'd struggled with a lot of guilt herself after the incident at Jurassic World. People died and she'd played a part in that, no matter how innocent her intentions had been. Her insecurities had been renewed when Mills called her and Owen "the parents of the new world." Claire didn't want to believe it, but she had to admit the words held a ring of truth.

She pulled Zach into a hug. "You should be talking to your mom about this. But if I can offer one piece of advice? Don't make any decisions right this minute. We don't know where things will stand in a couple of months."

 **:**

Owen walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water and saw Maisie sitting alone at the kitchen table, chin resting on her hands and troubled gaze fixed on the opposite wall.

"What's up?" he asked, settling into the chair next to her.

She twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "I've been thinking about that video, the one I saw with you and the velociraptors."

"Oh, yeah?"

"They're really smart, aren't they?"

He grinned. "The smartest."

"Do you think she'll be okay?"

Owen didn't have to ask who "she" was.

"Yeah. I do."

"She must be so lonely," Maisie lamented.

"Hey. Blue is tough." He nudged her shoulder playfully. "Kinda like someone else I know."

"Well, then that's the second thing we have in common." She twisted her fingers together. "Do you think Grandpa was ever going to tell me?"

Owen leaned forward in his chair, folding his hands. "I don't know," he said honestly. "I never met your grandpa."

Maisie pursed her lips thoughtfully. "If it was you, would you want to know more? If you had the chance, would you take it?"

"Yes."

She nodded and pushed her chair back, standing up.

"There's something I need to do."

 **:**

Zach and Gray were setting up the gaming console when Maisie found them.

"I want to see what Grandpa's book says," she announced. The brothers' heads shot up with interest, and she bit her lip. "Would you come look at it with me?"


	10. Chapter 10

**10**

Zach, Gray, and Maisie gathered in Gray's room. Gray plopped onto his beanbag while Zach took the desk chair and Maisie sat on the bed, pulling the book out from under the pillow. For a moment, she just stared at it.

Gray jiggled his leg impatiently. "Did you change your mind?"

She shook her head. "No." She hadn't, but now that the moment was upon her, she suddenly felt afraid again.

"You don't have to do this now if you don't want to," Zach reminded her. "It's not going anywhere."

But that was the thing, Maisie thought. Answers might be just inches away, and the longer she went without knowing, the worse the itch was going to become. Determination returned, and she flipped the cover open quickly, like ripping off a Band-Aid.

It was anticlimactic; the first page was almost blank, save for Benjamin Lockwood's spidery signature in the upper right-hand corner. She took a deep breath and turned to the next.

"Well?" Gray asked after a very brief pause.

"Jeez, Gray, give her a minute," Zach hissed.

Maisie licked her lips. "It's a diary. The first entry is dated March 26, 1981." She read aloud: "Elaine and I took Nora to the zoo today for her seventh birthday. She was enthralled by all the animals, but especially by the orangutans. I want to tell her that If John and I are successful, someday she will be able to see dinosaurs this way, but I don't want her to get her hopes up. We still have so much to do, and of course there's no guarantee any of it will work."

"Who's John?" Zach asked, frowning.

"John Hammond," Gray said knowledgeably. "Lockwood's partner."

Maisie turned to the next entry and skimmed it. At some point, she would want to read the whole book cover to cover, but right now she was on a quest for specific answers, and events that occurred over thirty years before she was born wouldn't provide them for her. She flipped through the pages carefully but quickly, looking specifically for mentions of Nora. There were plenty, but she didn't stop until she caught sight of her own name.

"October 14, 1999: My dear Elaine has been gone seven months, and I am finally finding my footing again. Nora has been wonderful. She moved back in to help take care of me. In going through her mother's things, we rediscovered some of Nora's old schoolwork. She signed all her drawings "Maisie" for three months when she was eight because of that old film series Elaine used to love. I'd forgotten about it until now."

"What's that?" Zach asked, pointing to something that had fallen out of the pages.

It was a Polaroid of a young woman with a strong resemblance to Maisie.

"So this is what I'll look like in fifteen years." She passed the photo on to Zach and flipped to the next entry, which was extremely short. "June 12, 2001: Nora is gone and my heart is broken." She looked up. "The timelines don't match up. I wasn't born for another seven years."

"DNA can be kept for a long time," Gray pointed out. "I mean, just think about how long dinosaur DNA stuck around."

"Lockwood must have taken a while to consider what he was doing," Zach agreed.

"But he had to know I would figure it out eventually. I mean, at some point I was going to find out what year Mo— _Nora_ died."

Zach shrugged. "He probably didn't think that far ahead."

The next entry was what Maisie had been waiting for.

"April 15, 2008: I don't know if I'm doing the right thing, but it's too late to turn back now. This could still go terribly wrong; human cloning has never been successfully accomplished, and I'm no geneticist. But I have high hopes. I know what John would say, but he doesn't understand what it's like to lose your whole family. I'm not trying to bring Nora back. No power on Earth can do that. But I'm a lonely old man, and this house needs some laughter. I need it, too."

Maisie sniffled.

"What's wrong?" Gray asked.

She shook her head and wiped her eyes. "It's just…it's almost like talking to him." She turned the page. "December 4, 2008: Maisie is here, and she is perfect. I used to tease Nora about giving me a grandchild, and I suppose she finally has, in a way. Iris has been wonderful—supportive through all my worrying, the voice of reason when I need it, and, of course, as good with Maisie as she was with Nora."

"Iris?" Gray asked.

"My nanny," Maisie explained, a tear running down her cheek.

"What happened to her?"

"She didn't make it," Maisie said flatly, remembering when Owen and Claire had sat her down, a few days after that horrific night, and broken the news that Iris' body had been discovered.

"I'm sorry," Gray said softly.

Maisie took a deep breath and snagged a tissue from the nightstand to blow her nose. Then she straightened her shoulders and returned to the book, reading the next three entries all in a row.

"October 11, 2011: Maisie is growing up so quickly. She looks just like Nora. She even has many of the same mannerisms. It can be painful, but it helps that my memory isn't as sharp as it used to be. Some days, I could almost believe Maisie really is my granddaughter.

"May 30, 2015: Maisie has the biggest imagination of any child I've ever known, including Nora. I think it has something to do with all the books she reads. I know I don't make very good company for her, old and bound to a wheelchair as I am. But she always brings a smile to my face. She reminds me of the reason John and I embarked on our adventure in the first place—to see the look of wonder in a child's eyes.

"January 12, 2018: I've instructed Eli to tuck this book away when I die, and to give it to Maisie when he decides she's ready. I know it's the coward's way out, but Maisie is too young. I don't want to spoil her childhood with knowledge any adult would find hard to bear. I wish I could hide away the truth forever and spare her from facing it at all, but I know that's not fair. My only hope is that she will understand how much I loved her."

Maisie looked up. "That's the end."

"Are you okay?" Gray asked.

"I didn't really get the answers I wanted." She sighed. "But I guess I don't know what I was expecting. I mean, at least I know he thought of me as separate from his daughter, and not just a replacement for her."

"You know, your grandpa probably kept other records," Zach mused. "With everything he was involved in, there has to be more out there somewhere."

Maisie frowned. "What are you saying?

"If you really want to know more, don't stop looking."

Maisie nodded thoughtfully. This was only the beginning of her quest for answers, but for now at least she knew she'd had a grandfather who loved her. And friends who would support her on her journey.

 **:**

Claire woke with a scream dying in her throat. For a moment she was paralyzed by the terror left by the dream. She slowly rolled over. The other side of the bed was empty, which mean Owen had likely had some nightmares of his own. He never wanted to discuss them with Claire, and she wasn't sure if it was because of his pride or if he just didn't need to talk things out the way she did.

She rose from the bed and pulled on a robe Karen had leant her, opening the door soundlessly and stepping into the dark hallway. She checked on Maisie as she passed Gray's room and was pleased to see the little girl was sleeping peacefully.

Owen was sitting on the back deck, staring into the woods. He didn't react when she sat next to him, except to wrap an arm around her shoulders. She curled into his side.

He broke the silence first. "Bad dream?" When she murmured an affirmative, he heaved a sigh. "Yeah. Me too."

Claire was surprised he admitted even that much.

"Want to talk about it?"

"You first."

She stared out into the woods. "We were back on Isla Nublar, that night with the Indominus Rex. The Mososaur dragged her into the lagoon, and just when we thought it was safe Blue turned into the Indoraptor and attacked us." She shivered. "And Maisie was there, and she was screaming."

Owen pulled her closer. "I'm sorry. That sucks."

After a long moment, Claire sighed. "I wish none of this had ever happened."

"No, you don't." Owen smiled wryly. "'Cuz then you'd still be a workaholic with no time for family."

"Does that make me a terrible person?" Claire wondered aloud. "That I'm grateful for the way things turned out? I mean, obviously I wish nobody had died…"

"It wasn't your fault," Owen said firmly, correctly guessing where her thoughts were headed.

She sighed. "Yeah, I know."

"No, you don't," Owen repeated. "You keep beating yourself up, but there's nothing you could have done. That place was a disaster waiting to happen. We just didn't realize it until it was too late."

"So you don't think we're the "parents" of this mess?" Claire asked dryly.

"No. But I think we might be the parents of a little girl whose whole world just got turned upside down."

Claire blew out a breath. "That's going to take a while to sink in."

"Tell me about it. But hey, my last kids had razor sharp teeth and would have eaten me if they ever got the chance. It can only go up from there."

Claire snorted. Then she asked hesitantly, "What are _we_ now? I mean, are we…?"

Owen quirked a smile. "Well, I was kinda hoping we could give it another try. Third time's the charm?"

Claire surged forward and Owen met her in a passionate kiss, not unlike their very first.

When they parted, Claire grinned. "Does this mean I get to drive the van?"

Owen rolled his eyes playfully. "I'll take it into consideration."

They sat in a comfortable silence for several minutes.

"So…what do we do now?" Claire asked, unintentionally echoing her words from three years ago.

Owen smiled. "Stick together."

"For survival," Claire nodded.

"It's a whole new world out there."


End file.
